Soilwork have always been quite a live spectacle in whatever capacity I have had the pleasure of seeing them. This time around they are playing one of London’s most intimate venues in the The Underworld Camden, and we were there to soak up that melodic death metal energy.
[date]25th August 2016[/date]
[venue]The Underworld Camden[/venue]
[city]London, UK[/city]
Soilwork have been a fascinating band for me for numerous reasons. The main one being that it would seem one could easily poke the band into that Gothenburg style death metal genre, but given how this band have fit on to numerous live bills throughout the years, you really can’t simply assign a genre to them. The oddest occasion I have seen Soilwork in was at a small progressive music festival in the United States, where in theory they really didn’t fit the line-up. In practise, they did.
It’s their live energy in parallel with their musical delivery that has stayed so consistent through the years that they provide any metal audience with an entertaining show no matter what your genre preference is. Tonight they play one of the most intimate venues I have ever seen the band in, and I was preparing from some explosive energy to obliterate this venue.
Starting off with the melodic calm of the title track of their recent album, ‘The Ride Majestic‘ siphons fan energy from the crowd before being released back in the form of a musical spirit bomb. It’s what Soilwork are all about, assuming any shape and form of a venue and brining the energy of an firestorm wherever they go.
One of the focal points of evening outside the standard Soilwork performance was that there was a new member performing with the band for the first time in a while – that was drummer Bastian Thusgaard replacing long time drummer Dirk Verbeuren who took a full-time job at Megadeth. How did he get on then? Well, splendidly if we have anything to say about it.
Pummelling out the classics like ‘Death in General‘ and ‘Rejection Role‘, the band connection is as electric as it ever was, and it definitely resonated with the fans as they jumped, screamed and moshed their way through the fantastic 90 minute set. The music was felt through every small corner of The Underworld.
Even if you don’t care too much for Soilwork’s music, they are one of those bands that simply deliver on the live stage. One of the very few where an excellent stage presence is so natural to them, it would be more difficult for the band to put on a bad show. It’s what’s kept me loving this band through the years, and it certainly didn’t change after this show.
